Dispensive device for sanitary brushes



March 18, 1941. A. J. FOURNIER DISPENSIVE DEVICE FOR SANITARY BRUSHES Filed Aug. 17-, 1958 INVEN'IZOR BY 2 1 'i/l ATTORN Patented Mar. 18, 1941 l PATENT OFFICE DISPENSIVE DEVICE FOR SANITARY BRUSHES Augustin J. Fournier, Taunton, Mass.

Application August 17, 1938, Serial No. 225,305

1 Claim.

The invention relates to the folding and packaging of paper tissue for making and dispensing brushes made from the tissue to replace the common bristle brush used in barber shop or beauty parlor. It is well recognized that the use of a bristle brush to remove cut particles of hair from a patrons neck and face is unsanitary for sweat and dirt as well as hair are transmitted from one patron to another. The difficulty can only be remedied by having an individual-brush for each patron, which after use may be thrown away. A brush which would meet these conditions is one which might bemade out of soft tissue paper or the like, and the object of my invention is to provide a dispensive device for these brush making tissues, in which the tissues, properly folded, are uniformly arranged in superposed order and in a certain and precise relation to an opening in the containant for finger entry whereby the folded tissues may be individually and'conveniently grasped and withdrawn, and this in such manner that the withdrawn tissues will each be made to assume a brush form which may be made permanent by twisting the grasped end portion of the tissue.

The invention can best be seen and understood by reference to the drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of the de- VlCe.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan of one of the blank tissues from which the brush is initially made.

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the primary fold in the blank tissue for making the brush.

Fig. 6 is a perspective of the secondary or final fold in the blank tissue for making the brush;

and

Fig. 7 is a perspective of the tissue brush after its withdrawal from the device and its brush form rendered permanent by twisting.

In the drawing i represents a rectangular box, or container, within which is confined a pile 2 of tissues from individual ones of which brushes are made.

The box, or container, I, may be made of any suitable material such as wood or metal, but preferably from some hard material of a resinous nature which may be made into an attractive form.

The preferred structural mounting of the box or container is one in which the box is made to lie in an upright vertical position as shown in Fig. 2, where 3 represents the front of the box having an opening 4 within it. 5, 5 represent, respectively, the top and bottom sides of the box, and 6, 6' its ends. The back of the box is left open for receiving its fill of tissues and is closed by applying the box to a panel l which forms backing therefor and for the contained tissues, the box being removably attached to this backing. The panel 7 may be a permanent fixture, or itself may be applied to, or hung upon, a fixture by any suitable means, not shown.

The attachment of the box to the back panel 1 is preferably obtained by providing the panel with a thickened or raised edge portions which, when the box has been applied to the back panel with the sides and ends of the box having edge engagement therewith, will form a frame 8 around the rear edges tothe sides and ends of the box. The box is attached to this frame and to the panel by providing the rear edges to the top and bottom of the box with flanges 9 and Ill, respectively, the flange 9 being upturned from the rear edge to the top 5 of the box and the flange I!) being downturned from the rear edge to the bottom 5 of the box. The upturned flange 9 lies within a socket H in the top cross bar of the frame 8 and the downturn-ed flange [0 within a socket 12 in the bottom cross bar of the frame 8. The socket II is a deep socket and sufficient clearance is left between the top 5 of the box 7 and the adjacent edge of the frame 8 to perm-it of such entry of the flange 9 into the socket H as will permit of the flange I0 entering the socket I2, after which the box is allowed to drop and the flanges lie contained in their respective sockets, holding the box securely in place on the panel. The fit of the flanges in their respective sockets is such as will prevent lateral displacement of the box.

Each of the tissues in the pile of tissues contained in the box initially comprises a blank sheet 14 as shown in Fig. 4. This sheet is folded upon itself into a fold I as shown in Fig. 5, the fold being made preferably from a fold line l5 at the centre of the blank. The folded sheet is then again folded upon itself into a fold I42 as shown in Fig. 6 so that the fold line [5 will lie about midway between the top and bottom edges of the then folded blank and form a free folded edge to a leaf portion I43 of the folded blank.

After the removal of the box from its panel the tissues are packed into the box in superposed. relation and are so packed that the folded edge l5 of all the tissues will cross the opening 4 in the front 3 of the box and will preferably occupy a position where it bisects the centre of the opening with the leaf I43 leading to said edge occupying a position below the edge. In consequence of this arrangement the outermost tissue, or the one that is contacting with the front of the box, can readily be grasped by the fingers nipping the free fold edge l5 of the tissue through the opening 4 in the front of the box, whereupon the tissue may readily be withdrawn from the box. When thus withdrawn the tissue will assume the general form of a brush inasmuch as the tissue is a folded tissue with a free edge fold line at substantially the centre of the tissue and the tissue is grasped by grasping its free edge fold line at substantially the centre of its longitudinal extension for the opening 4 in the box is a substantially central opening. After the withdrawal of the tissue from the box its brush form may be made permanent by twisting the end portion l6 thereof adjacent where it is being held by the fingers as shown in Fig. 7

The same operation attends each of the tissues in the box, for as one tissue is withdrawn another tissue will lie adjacent the opening in the box so that its free fold edge l5 may be grasped by the fingers and the tissue withdrawn. In this connection it will be observed that the fold of the tissue, especially where its fold line is brought into its final position, is such as to bring the fold line into a position of outward displacement immediately adjacent the opening in the front of the box even when there are few tissues left in the box, the bend in the tissue and its natural resiliency being such as to displace the edge I5 or throw it forward so that it may readily be grasped at the point of the opening in the box.

After the tissues are exhausted the box is raised so that its bottom flange ID will clear the socket in which it is contained, after which the box is tipped and withdrawn from the panel. After the filling of the box with a fresh supply of tissue it is again mounted upon the panel, which provides a backing for the contained tissues, in the manner previously described.

I claim:

A dispensive device for sanitary brushes comprising a. pack of folded tissues, each folded tissue being formed from a blank sheet folded twice upon itself along parallel fold lines, the first fold line being substantially midway of said sheet, and the second fold line being such as to position said medial fold line substantially midway between the top and bottom edges of the twice folded sheet; a container within which said pack of folded tissues is contained, said container having a front with opening therein for finger entry, said opening being centrally positioned in said front and exposing only the central portion of said medial fold line of the contained tissues, said pack of folded tissues being uniformly arranged within said container in superposed order with the foremost one of the pack bearing against said front of the container around said opening therein and with its said fold line exposed to cross said opening whereby said foremost tissue each succeeding tissue as it becomes a foremost tissue may be individually grasped at its exposed fold line and the tissue be Withdrawn from said container through said opening and thereby be made to assume, through stress of withdrawal through said opening, a substantially brush form.

AUGUSTIN J. FOURNIER. 

